Distr, LIMITED
y May 19S1
Original: ENGLISH
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA.
African Institute for Higher Technical Training and Research
Extraordinary Meeting of tte Governing Council
A3dis Ababa, 15-16 June 1981
AFRICAN INSTITUTE FOR KEGEER TECHNICAL TRADOH3 AND RESEARSi:
A PRCPOSAL FO^ TBE ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CXl^tETTEES CN INSTITUTE'S AFFAIRS
The African Institute for higher Technical Training and Itesearch, Nairobi, when fully operational will provide training, research and consultancy services that will be of' direct benefit to manufacturers and producers of goods and services. Its training products'will be middle and higher level technical
personnel that will serve in all sectors of the economy1 - in industry, agriculture, transport and corrmunications, natural resource exploitation, education, health arid social welfare, environment, etc. Siiice all sectors of national development are to benefit from adequate supply of innovative and technical personnel of the type that the Institute is to train or retrain, the Institute will endeavour, resource
permitting, to produce trained Africans who are adequately equipped with the right attitude*--and skills to adapt, apply, innovate, develop and diffuse technology in all sectors of economic activities. It is to meet this task that the Institute is multidisciplanary and rrultisectoral in function and design.
If the Institute is to serve all sectors and have clients from various sectors, it is necessary that interest or target groups be identified as early as possible. This is necessary to cultivate in the Institute a habit of client consciousness in its dedication to serve, and to encourage its prospective clients to retain a permanent interest in the affairs of the Institute. Such consciousness could lead to mutual confidence and collaborative effort.
The programmes and services of the Institute are to be available to both public and private sectors. It is not an,issue in this paper for a debate as to whether private undertakings in member States but which are not owned and managed by Africans should benefit from the services of the Institute. This issue can be
considered on a different occasion, Ttatiis being stressed is that the Institute is designed to serve many sectors and that clients in these sectors must be made aware of the existence and progranraes of the Institute so as to be able to take full advantage of its services. On the other hand, the Institute must be conscious of the problems and needs of its clients in order to become relevant in helping them to solve their
teuete&M&jfc: problems, \faen potential clients know what services the Institute can offer, and that its training and research activities contribute to solving tiieir problems they would normally want to help the Institute solve its problems, develop increase capability, provide it with more resources and give it more challenging research ani development
tasks. ^
The further training of experienced engineers and technologists throu^i problem solving research by task forces or teams of research fellows will be largely through production problems entrusted to the Institute to solve. Ebr such task, it is
expected that the client organization, be it a government agency, public enterprise or private firm, will pay full costs by contractual arrangements or throu#i
contribution to technology research enciswtnent fund.
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Itie multidisciplinary and multisectoral nature of the training and research programmes aftd clientele of the Institute, by necessity calls for effective
co-ordination of interests and programmes at both the Institute and country levels.; . This is because the affairs of the Institute are not just for one ministry or one ■ production or service sector only. To ensure that such co-ordination exists and is effective, it is proposed that each country considers the desirability of establishing as scon as found feasible a "National Cbnmittee or Body on the Affairs of the African Higher ^technical Institute" With the following terms of reference;
- To co-ordinate national interest in the affairs of the Institute and
disseminate information on, the programmes and activities of the Institute.;
- Tb'ensure that the country takes full advantage of the training and, : ;
research programmes of the Institute and help select deserving nationals for training at the Institute.
- To make suggestions to the Institute, through an appropriate governmental,
channel, for jsrograrane development to meet needs and enhance relevance, - Tb foster raitual co-operation between the Institute and clients using
graduates and technological innovations of the Institute.
In furtherance of the foregoing objectives, it is further proposed that the National Ocmnit±ee on the Affairs of the Institute be composed as follows-. ; ' '
(i) Chairman; The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry charged -. ■ . ■ with co-ordinating the affairs of the Institute
(ii) Vice-Chairman % l^linistry of Planning or Finance
(iii) Agencies of One representative each from industry, agriculture.
Governments - transport and communications, education, health,
■■.'■•■' social development (say a maximum of 4) ;
(iv) Public Enterprise: One public enterprise or corporation
(v) Private Enterprise. One from the Chambers of Conmerce and Industry
■ 0 and one private indigenous entrepreneur
(vi) Stertiaryi Level Che Trainer/Educationist :
Engineering/ ; i;
Technical ■> ■ :
Institution:
(vii) Secretary: lo be provided by the co-ordinating ministry
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Action required
'The Council is invited to consider the above proposal as to its desirability and the feasibility of establishing and operating a National Conmittee for the Affairs of the Institute, and accordingly tot
(a) Accept the principle of the desirability of encouraging number States to set up such a Oomnittee or a modified variant of ttie proposed body to carry out the functions outlined above;
(b) Call upon meirfoer States that accept the proposal in principle, to initiate necessary action towards the establishmsnt of an appropriate body for the affairs of the Institute.